By: Ryan Hill — Public Relations
Mankato, Minnesota — August 9, 2013. The Madison Mallards (19-15, 40-27) conclude a six-game road trip today against the Mankato MoonDogs (20-12, 37-30) and will look for a sweep over the inter-division opponent.
Drew Weeks (North Florida) hit a three-run bomb in the eighth to give the Mallards a 4-2 lead in the eighth and Jeff Zahn (Indiana State) tripled in a run two batters later last night to help the Mallards capture a win in the first game of a two-game series.
It turns out Zahn’s insurance run was desperately needed, as Mallards reliever Kristian Calibuso (Eastern Michigan) ran into trouble in the ninth. He walked three batters before allowing MoonDogs leadoff batter Tim Arakawa (Oklahoma State) to double in two runs to pull the MoonDogs within one. Danny Sullivan (Davenport) then came in for the Mallards and struck out Hibraim Cordova (U. of the Cumberlands) to close things out.
Mallards starting pitcher Taylore Cherry (North Carolina) pitched just three days ago but was forced to exit after hitting the pitch limit in the first but most likely would not have returned anyway, as the Mallards and Stingers had a 1 hour and 29 minute rain delay on Tuesday. He walked two and gave up one hit while allowing one run (earned) in that first inning. Cherry is 1-0 on the year with a 3.71 ERA and had a stretch of four starts in July in which he went at least five innings and allowed three earned runs or less.
Race to the Finish
The Lakeshore Chinooks have been in the second-half lead for most of the latter half of the season but now are only 0.5 games ahead of the La Crosse Loggers and one game ahead of the Eau Claire Express. The winner of the second half will face the Mallards and whoever has the best overall record will get home field advantage in the divisional round of the playoff. The Chinooks hold a one-game lead over the Loggers and have a two-game lead over the Mallards in the overall standings. The Waterloo Bucks, who just wrapped up the second-half championship in the North Division, will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Up Next:
The Mallards return home on Saturday, August 10th against the Lakeshore Chinooks for a 6:05 pm game to begin the final series of the regular season. There will be a Mallards Trading Card Giveaway presented by Charter Communications on Saturday and it will also be Back to School Night! The United Way Community Connection Night will also take place that night and Budweiser will provide post-game fireworks.
The Madison Mallards are your Northwoods League South Division First Half Champions! Playoff tickets are on-sale now!
The Madison Mallards are part of the 16-team Northwoods League. The Northwoods League has more teams, plays more games, and draws more fans than any other Summer Collegiate Baseball League in North America. In 2013, the Northwoods League is celebrating its 20th season.
